Bess Lomax Hawes

Bess Lomax Hawes (born Austin, 21 January 1921) was an American folk singer, researcher and arts administrator. The daughter of John Lomax, one of the founding figures in the study of American popular song, she came to traditional music and its study at a very young age. Her education included the University of Texas, where she studied in 1937 and 1938, Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1941, and the University of California, which awarded her a master's degree in 1970.

Between 1941 and 1952 she was a member of The Almanac Singers, with whom she took part in recording discs such as Talking Union, Citizen CIO, American Folk Songs and Songs of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Meanwhile, her academic career advanced at California State College, Northridge, where she was appointed assistant professor of anthropology in 1963 and was promoted to full professor in 1974.

In 1977 she became director of the Folk Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts. Under her responsibility, traditional arts programmes were launched in practically every state and territory of the country, until her retirement in 1992. During her tenure the National Heritage Program was set up, dedicated to recognising traditional artists from across the country. She also took part in grant-awarding committees and in the production of festivals, films and summer courses.

Her written output focused above all on children's folklore, with articles such as "La Llorona in Juvenile Hall" or "Folksongs and Function", and with the book Step it Down, produced together with B. Smith Jones. Her legacy lies in having helped integrate folk traditions into American cultural policy, a recognition that culminated in the National Medal of Arts in 1993.